I went there earlier today 11/19/2013 to have my cat looked at because we suspected that she has a UTI and ear mites; she is also chewing off her fur. We also asked that her nails be trimmed. After checking in and waiting for almost 20 minutes in the room the nurse comes in and weighs her and check her temperature and then leaves. Another 20 minutes goes by and the veterinarian comes in (I don't know her name but she had long hair and was about 5'4"). The veterinarian suggests that we give my cat a steroid injection for her hair loss and that we should also get her Revolution to combat the fleas and ear mites. Then she suggests that she could either take my cat overnight to allow her to urinate while she was there and she would have a urine culture done OR we could have a needle injection into my cat's bladder to extract urine. She then retracted her statement about the needle/bladder because my cat's bladder was too small. She also suggested that we should put her on a different diet of a brand of cat food that they were selling. I asked if they would trim her nails for us because our cat won't let us do it at home. The nurse explained that I could either pay $40 for the exam or $23 for a vaccination; I chose the latter. After another 30 minutes my cat and I finally left the room and went to the front desk. We were charged $23 for a vaccination and another $10 for the nail clipping which no one ever mentioned to me was a charge. If I had known I was going to be charged, I wouldn't have gotten it. $10?! Really?! For clipping her nails?! Okay. After almost an hour and a half and $33 of stuff my cat didn't really need, we left the clinic with the same information that we had before GOING to the clinic. At least our suspicions were confirmed.... not that it helped anything or was justified by paying $33. The vet tried to sell us these items: Exam: $40 Steroid injection: $30 Revolution for 1 month for 2 cats: $40 (We would also have to do AT LEAST two months of this for it to work) Antibiotics: $50 Overnight stay and urine culture: $90 3 LB Bag of Catfood: $20 That's OVER $250?! All-in-all, this was just a bad experience and we will not be going back. I wouldn't if I were you, unless you want to be sold on stuff or have to pay for a visit that told you everything you already knew. Just to note, my cat was free....

I usually don't post reviews, but my opinion of Central is so high, and I think the outdated previous reviews are invalid and don't give Central the credit it deserves. I moved to southern illinois for school last year, when my dog suddenly became very ill (throwing up, weight loss, frequent accidents, no appetite). I took him to Lakeside first (closest to our home), and the vet blew off his symptoms as stress from moving and he probably ate something he disagreed with. His illness progressed, and we took him to three other vets for various symptoms, and they all had some external explanation for his symptoms (ate something bad, chewing on stuff he shouldn't be, etc...) On one night in particular after three days of my dog not eating or drinking, I frantically searched for an emergency vet in the middle of the night. After driving to every vet in town and calling all of the emergency numbers (including Lakeside, Spear, and Striegel), the ONLY place I got an answer from was the Central Animal Hospital emergency line. Dr. Hayashi answered, and her kindness and compassion was very appreciated. Long story short, Dr. McNitt at Central was the only vet (out of 4 I had seen at this point) who took my concerns seriously and ran blood work immediately, which led us to discover my dog was suffering from renal failure. 6 months later after a hospitalization, strict medication and fluid regimin, and frequent vet visits, my dog's blood levels are practically normalized and he's as healthy as ever. Yes, it was very costly, but I only trust the intelligence and experience from the vets at Central now. The staff are always wonderful, and I feel like my dog is getting the best possible treatment there. I recommend them hands down.

please do yourself a flavor and go anywhere but here. I had a question about my brand new puppy, called the clinic bc I wanted to speak to the vet, they wouldn't let me and said that I have to pay $45 to come in and have the puppy looked at and pretty much pay to have my question answered...never going back again!! and plus, they decided to trim my puppys nails (bc it was part of the puppy initial package) without my permission and they literally cut off half of his nails(2) off and cut into his quick bad, he was bleeding everywhere!! he was crying and they have to apply starch at least 3 times bf the bleeding stop. please stay away! not worthy of one star....

+I was impressed with the kindness of this facility when it comes to clipping/grinding claws, and other basic needs for my pet. My pet is absolutely terrified of getting nails done, and acts chaotic during the clipping. The staff handles the pet very well. +This facility handles basic situations in a timely manner and can be reached about any time in case of an emergency or immediate assistance. -Beyond the necessities, the clinic lacks true knowledge. I have never been prescribed so many prescriptions for a pet that will NOT work before obtaining the "cure" whether it be for allergies, infections, or any other matter that requires medical assistance. My pet has become more sick over time under the wrong prescriptions... Actually, I was able to google and come up with the solutions before the actual doctor could, and suggested (more than one occasion) what my pet should be taking. Location is everything! Very close to my home, I enjoy coming to this facility for basic needs and distance. However, if you are seeking intelligence, do some homework before booking an appointment.

I recently took my cat to two of their location and now my cat is on 4 different meds. She is rapidly getting worse and worse in her sickness and I had nobody talk to me about any answers as of why. I am going to get another opinion tomorrow about all of these meds. I strongly recommend never going this vet.